The City Council today designated Wrigley Field, Major League Baseball's second oldest ballpark, a Chicago Landmark.  The distinction makes the "Friendly Confines" the first major professional sports stadium in the United States to be granted such protection. 

Separately, the Council also approved a sweeping 12-year agreement that would allow the Chicago Cubs to play up to 12 additional games at night while providing for a program to substantially improve parking and traffic congestion, and to ease public behavior issues in the neighborhood during the baseball season.

"Wrigley Field is a national treasure and a key piece of our civic identity. I'm pleased that we are able to preserve and protect this great stadium, keeping it economically vital well into the future, and helping the Chicago Cubs remain a competitive team for years to come," said Mayor Richard M. Daley.

"But protecting the surrounding neighborhood is just as important as the ballpark itself," Daley continued. "The Tribune Company, the Cubs, the Aldermen and the residents of the Lake View community worked together to reach this historic agreement on neighborhood protections. I want to thank them for their efforts."

Under the Wrigley Field Neighborhood Protection Ordinance, the Cubs, currently hosting 18 night regular season games a year, would be permitted to have 22 night games in the 2004 season, 26 in 2005 and 30 beginning in 2006 until 2015. The start time of post-season and future All-Star games would not be subject to the agreement.

"We are excited the City Council has approved this neighborhood protection plan and night game ordinance," said Andy MacPhail, president and CEO of the Chicago Cubs. "We want to thank the Mayor, the City representatives, our local aldermen and the community leaders for working with us during the past three years to create a comprehensive ordinance that will help the community, the city and the Cubs all thrive."

As part of the agreement, the Cubs will fund and operate expanded remote parking, print residential parking permits, expand trash pick-up in and around Wrigley Field. The Cubs would also contribute $1 million to a "CubFund" to address new and ongoing neighborhood issues not by the plan. 

Annual Wrigley Field advisory meetings will be held to review and evaluate the neighborhood protection plan, recommend possible changes, and to advise on expenditure to be made from the CubFund.

In addition, the Cubs will fund an engineering study to evaluate whether to build a permanent Addison Street entrance ramp to southbound Lake Shore Drive. They will fund and operate remote parking and shuttle buses for all night and weekend games. The team would also continue to provide free bicycle valet service and promote public transportation as fan alternatives to driving to the game.

The team would also provide a hotline for community concerns before and after each game, provide portable toilets in or near all Cub-owned or operated parking lots, and allow access to bleacher bathrooms after each game.

This season, the Chicago Police Department will develop and implement a new pilot cross-district targeted enforcement strategy to respond to quality-of-life violations in the area surrounding the ballpark.

If the Cubs have not complied with their obligations under the agreement, the City could reduce the number of allowed night games to 28 for the 2006 season.

"My goal as alderman is to balance the needs of our residents and businesses to ensure the best quality of life in Lake View," said Ald. Tom Tunney (44th), whose ward includes Wrigley Field. "This ordinance achieves that balance and ensures that our community will continue to be the most vibrant neighborhood in Chicago."

The separate detailed landmark designation preserves the ballpark's historic features while addressing the Cubs' needs for modernizations and upkeep. 

The City Council designated all four street elevations and the "marquee" sign at Clark and Addison. Inside the ballpark, the open character of the grandstands and bleachers, the brick wall and ivy around the playing field, and the historic center field scoreboard will be protected.

The landmark guidelines spell out a clear set of rules about what improvement projects would need review by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. They have the expressed purpose of allowing the team to make the necessary changes to the ballpark to keep it economically viable well into the future – including their current work to add additional seats behind home plate.

Built in 1914, Wrigley Field has been home to the Cubs since 1916. For five decades (1921-70) it also served as the playing field for the Chicago Bears.